Effect of Interface Form on Creep Failure and Life of Dissimilar Metal Welds Involving Nickel-Based Weld Metal and Ferritic Base Metal

For dissimilar metal welds(DMWs)involving nickel-based weld metal(WM)and ferritic heat resistant steel base metal(BM)in power plants,there must be an interface between WM and BM,and this interface suffers mechanical and microstructure mismatches and is often the rupture location of premature failure.In this study,a new form of WM/BM interface form,namely double Y-type interface was designed for the DMWs.Creep behaviors and life of DMWs containing double Y-type interface and conventional I-type interface were compared by finite element analysis and creep tests,and creep failure mechanisms were investigated by stress-strain analysis and microstructure characterization.By applying double Y-type interface instead of conventional I-type interface,failure location of DMW could be shifted from the WM/ferritic heat-affected zone(HAZ)interface into the ferritic HAZ or even the ferritic BM,and the failure mode change improved the creep life of DMW.The interface premature failure of I-type interface DMW was related to the coupling effect of microstructure degradation,stress and strain concentrations,and oxide notch on the WM/HAZ interface.The creep failure of double Y-type interface DMW was the result of Type IV fracture due to the creep voids and micro-cracks on fine-grain boundaries in HAZ,which was a result of the matrix softening of HAZ and lack of precipitate pinning at fine-grain boundaries.The double Y-type interface form separated the stress and strain concentrations in DMW from the WM/HAZ interface,preventing the trigger effect of oxide notch on interface failure and inhibiting the interfacial microstructure cracking.It is a novel scheme to prolong creep life and enhance reliability of DMW,by means of optimizing the interface form,decoupling the damage factors from WM/HAZ interface,and then changing the failure mechanism and shifting the failure location.

Tensile and Impact Properties of Shielded Metal Arc Welded AISI 409M Ferritic Stainless Steel Joints

The present study is concerned with the effect of filler metals such as austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel on tensile and impact properties of the ferritic stainless steel conforming to AISI 409M grade. Rolled plates of 4 mm thickness were used as the base material for preparing single pass butt welded joints. Tensile and impact properties, microhardness, microstructure and fracture surface morphology of the joints fabricated by austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel filler metals were evaluated and the results were reported. From this investigation, it is found that the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal showed higher tensile strength and hardness compared to the joints fabricated by austenitic and ferritic stainless steel filler metals. Joints fabricated by austenitic stainless steel filler metal exhibited higher ductility and impact toughness compared with the joints fabricated by ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel filler metals.

Research on the creep damage and interfacial failure of dissimilar metal welded joint between 10Cr9Mo1VNbN and 12Cr1MoV steel

The mechanical properties, creep damage, creep rupture strength and features of interfacial failures of welded joints between martensite (SA213T91) and pearlite steel (12Cr1MoV) have been investigated by means of argon tungsten pulsed arc welding, high temperature accelerated simulation, creep rupture, mechanical property tests and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The research results indicate that the mechanical properties of overmatched and medium matched joint deteriorate obviously, and they are susceptible to creep damage and failure after accelerated simulation operation 500 h, in the condition of preheat 250℃, and post welding heat treatment 750℃×1 h. However, the mechanical properties of undermatched joint are the best, the interfacial failure tendency of undermatched welded joint is less than those of medium and overmatched welded joint. Therefore, it is reasonable that low alloy material TR31 is used as the filler metal of weld between SA213T91and 12Cr1MoV steel.

Influence of shielding gas on the mechanical and metallurgical properties of DP-GMA-welded 5083-H321 aluminum alloy

In the present research, 6-mm-thick 5083-H321 aluminum alloy was joined by the double-pulsed gas metal arc welding （DP-GMAW） process. The objective was to investigate the influence of the shielding gas composition on the microstructure and properties of GMA welds. A macrostructural study indicated that the addition of nitrogen and oxygen to the argon shielding gas resulted in better weld penetration. Furthermore, the tensile strength and bending strength of the welds were improved when oxygen and nitrogen （at concentrations as high as approximately 0. 1vol%） were added to the shielding gas; however, these properties were adversely affected when the oxygen and nitrogen contents were increased further. This behavior was attributed to the formation of excessive brown and black oxide films on the bead surface, the formation of intermetallic compounds in the weld metal, and the formation of thicker oxide layers on the bead surface with increasing nitrogen and oxygen contents in the argon-based shielding gas. Analysis by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that most of these compounds are nitrides or oxides.

Quantitative Metal Magnetic Memory Reliability Modeling for Welded Joints

Metal magnetic memory（MMM） testing has been widely used to detect welded joints. However, load levels, environmental magnetic field, and measurement noises make the MMM data dispersive and bring difficulty to quantitative evaluation. In order to promote the development of quantitative MMM reliability assessment, a new MMM model is presented for welded joints. Steel Q235 welded specimens are tested along the longitudinal and horizontal lines by TSC-2M-8 instrument in the tensile fatigue experiments. The X-ray testing is carried out synchronously to verify the MMM results. It is found that MMM testing can detect the hidden crack earlier than X-ray testing. Moreover, the MMM gradient vector sum K_（vs） is sensitive to the damage degree, especially at early and hidden damage stages. Considering the dispersion of MMM data, the K_（vs） statistical law is investigated, which shows that K_（vs） obeys Gaussian distribution. So K_（vs） is the suitable MMM parameter to establish reliability model of welded joints. At last, the original quantitative MMM reliability model is first presented based on the improved stress strength interference theory. It is shown that the reliability degree R gradually decreases with the decreasing of the residual life ratio T, and the maximal error between prediction reliability degree R_1 and verification reliability degree R_2 is 9.15%. This presented method provides a novel tool of reliability testing and evaluating in practical engineering for welded joints.

Numerical Simulation on Interfacial Creep Failure of Dissimilar Metal Welded Joint between HR3C and T91 Heat-Resistant Steel

The maximum principal stress, von Mises equivalent stress, equivalent creep strain, stress triaxiality in dissimilar metal welded joints between austenitic（HR3C） and martensitic heat-resistant steel（T91） are simulated by FEM at 873 K and under inner pressure of 42.26 MPa. The results show that the maximum principal stress and von Mises equivalent stress are quite high in the vicinity of weld/T91 interface, creep cavities are easy to form and expand in the weld/T91 interface. There are two peaks of equivalent creep strains in welded joint, and the maximum equivalent creep strain is in the place 27-32 mm away from the weld/T91 interface, and there exists creep constrain region in the vicinity of weld/T91 interface. The high stress triaxiality peak is located exactly at the weld/T91 interface. Accordingly, the weld/T91 interface is the weakest site of welded joint. Therefore, using stress triaxiality to describe creep cavity nucleation and expansion and crack development is reasonable for the dissimilar metal welded joint between austenitic and martensitic steel.

Characterization of the structural details of residual austenite in the weld metal of a 9Cr1MoNbV welded rotor

The existence of residual austenite in weld metal plays an important role in determining the properties and dimensional accuracy of welded rotors. An effective corrosive agent and the metallographic etching process were developed to clearly reveal the characteristics of residual austenite in the weld metal of a 9Cr1MoNbV welded rotor. Moreover, the details of the distribution, shape, length, length-to-width ratio, and the content of residual austenite were systematically characterized using the Image-Pro Plus image analysis software. The results revealed that the area fraction of residual austenite was approximately 6.3% in the observed weld seam; the average area, length, and length-to-width ratio of dispersed residual austenite were quantitatively evaluated to be （5.5 ± 0.1）μm2, （5.0 ± 0.1）μm, and （2.2 ± 0.1）, re-spectively. The newly developed corrosive agent and etching method offer an appropriate approach to characterize residual austenite in the weld metal of welded rotors in detail.

Research on microstructure and properties of boron/Q235 steel laser welded dissimilar joints under synchronous thermal field

The mechanical mismatch effect frequently occurs in the dissimilar materials welded joints, thus leading to plastic gradient at the interface between the weld and heat-affected zone(HAZ). In this work, the boron steel and Q235 steel were selected for laser tailor welding,which obtained boron/Q235 steel tailor-welded blanks(TWBs). The method of welding with synchronous thermal field(WSTF) was utilized to eliminate the mismatch effects in TWBs. The WSTF was employed to adjust cooling rates of welded joints, thereby intervening in the solidification behaviors and phase transition of the molten pool. Boron/Q235 steel was welded by laser under conventional and WSTF(300-600 ℃) conditions, respectively. The results show that the microstructure of weld and HAZ(boron) was adequately transitioned to ferrites and pearlites instead of abundant martensite by WSTF. Meanwhile, the discrepancy of microhardness and yield strength between various regions of welded joints was greatly reduced, and the overall plasticity of welded joints was enhanced by WSTF. It is indicated that WSTF can effectively contribute to reducing plastic gradient and achieving mechanical congruity in welded joints by restraining the generation of hardbrittle phase, which could significantly improve the formability of TWBs in subsequent hot stamping.

Impact property analysis of weld metal and heat-affected zone for low-alloy carbon steel multi-pass welded joint

Welded joint impact performances of low-alloy carbon steel plates welded by full-automatic gas metal arc welding （GMAW） were evaluated. To clarity the effect of impact temperature on impact properties of weld metal （WM） and heat- affected zone （ HAZ）, Charpy V impact tests at different temperatures and fracture surface analysis were carried out. The Charpy V impact energy decreases with the decreasing test temperature both for the WM and HAZ, while the proportion of crystal zone on WM and HAZ impact fracture surface increases with the decreasing test temperature. Research results indicate that the welding defects （void and slag） make the impact energy of WM more scattered and lower than that of HAZ.

Study on gas metal arc welding of two types of TMCP steels

Gas metal arc welding experiments were conducted on two types of steels with 0.41% carbon equivalent(Ceq) and 0.31% Cequsing WER70T wire and 20% CO_(2)and 80% Ar as shielding gas.The two types of steels show satisfactory weldability.The transition temperatures of 50% upper shelf energy(Tk0.5) for Charpy-V impact test of both the welded joints are below-40 ℃.However, the toughness of the fusion line zone and heat-affected zone(HAZ) of the two steel joints exhibits differences, with the toughness of 0.41% Ceqsteel being better than that of 0.31% Ceqsteel.The Tk0.5of the fusion line zone and the HAZ of 0.41% Ceqsteel is below-60℃,whereas that of 0.31% Ceqsteel is above-40℃.The welded joint of 0.41% Ceqsteel has low hardness fluctuation, while that of 0.31% Ceqsteel exhibits a narrow, softened zone, which has no obvious influence on the tested tensile strength.The coarse grain heat-affected zone(CGHAZ)microstructure of 0.41% Ceqsteel is bainite, while that of 0.31% Ceqsteel is bainite with ferrite and minor pearlite.

Prediction of Ac1 temperature in P92 steel weld metal

The effects of major alloying elements on the Ac, temperature in P92 steel weld metal were evaluated by Thermo- Calc, and a formula relating Ac1 to the content of major alloying elements was developed using multiple regression method. Results show that both C and N reduce Ac, temperature in weld metal, the effect of N on Ac, is greater than that of C, but their influence on Act is not so significant when they individually vary in the specified chemical composition ranges. Si, Cr, Mo and W increase the Acl temperature, and the descending order of their effects is determined as Si, Mo, W, Cr. Mn and Ni decrease the AcI in weld metal, the decreasing effect is especially remarkable when the （ Mn ＋ Ni） ≥ 1%. The effect of Co is moderate and is much smaller compared to Ni. The variations of Acl for the ranges of micro-alloying elements Nb and V are also evaluated, the effect of V is greater compared to Nb and the effect of Nb could be ignored in the specified chemical composition range. A prediction formula for Ac, temperature in P92 steel weld metal within the specified chemical composition ranges was developed based on the comprehensive consideration of the calculated Ac, temperatures and the experimentally measured results.

Effects of alloying elements on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Ni-Fe weld metals

The effects of Ce, Ti, Nb and C on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Ni Fe weld metal and the mechanism of their strengthening are discussed. Ce has the effect on graphite morphology and weld metal with spheroidal graphite has higher mechanical properties. The proper contents of Ti and Nb obviously increase the tensile strength of Ni Fe weld metal, which is mainly attributed to the austenite grain refining and second phase (TiC and NbC) strengthening. The excess C in weld metal results in increasing the quantity of carbide and graphite precipitating along the austenite grain boundary and decreasing the mechanical properties of Ni Fe weld metal.

Effects of Cu， Ni， Mn and Mo on the austemperability， microstructures and mechanical properties of ADI weld metal

Effect of Cu. ni. Mn and,mo on the austemperability, Inicroslruclures and Inechanlcal properlies of auslempered duclile iron(ADI) weld metal have been investigated it has been demonslrated foal Mn and.Mo obviously enhance the austemperablity of weld metal. but a exdcess of Mn or Mo impairs the mechanical properties of ADI weld metal because of the formation or carbide at cell boundaries. Cu and Ni can improve the plasticity of ADI weld metal by suppressing the formation of carbide and by increaxsing the amount of austemite,.in order to obtain the weld having both the high austemperability and exceptional combination of mechanical properties. it is advantageous that welds is alloyed withe tWo Or more elements in relalivelv.small amounts.

Mechanical properties and grain refinement by acicular ferrite in high strength high toughness weld metal

The volume fraction and morphology of acicular ferrite evolution in a high strength high toughness weld metal were studied and the mechanical properties of weld metal under heat input of 21 kJ/cm with and without fast cooling were tested. The results show the weld metal can obtain a large proportion of acicular ferrite during a wide range of cooling rate and the sizes of acicular ferrite in length and thickness decrease with cooling rate increasing. The weld metal exhibited high tensile strength （895 MPa and 870 MPa） and good low temperature toughness （average AKv-30℃ 104 J and 79. 2 J）. The higher tensile strength and better low temperature toughness of the weld metal under fast cooling are due to the more refined grain of acicular ferrite.

Microstructure in the Weld Metal of Austenitic-Pearlitic Dissimilar Steels and Diffusion of Element in the Fusion Zone

Microstructure and alloy element distribution in the welded joint between austenitic stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9Ti) and pearlitic heat-resistant steel (lCr5Mo) were researched by means of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Microstructure, divisions of the fusion zone and elemental diffusion distributions in the welded joints were investigated. Furthermore, solidification microstructure and &-ferrite distribution in the weld metal of these steels are also discussed.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of ultralow carbon high-strength steel weld metals with or without Cu-Nb addition

Two types of ultralow carbon steel weld metals(with and without added Cu-Nb) were prepared using gas metal arc welding(GMAW) to investigate the correlation between the microstructure and mechanical properties of weld metals.The results of microstructure characterization showed that the weld metal without Cu-Nb was mainly composed of acicular ferrite(AF), lath bainite(LB), and granular bainite(GB).In contrast, adding Cu-Nb to the weld metal caused an evident transformation of martensite and grain coarsening.Both weld metals had a high tensile strength(more than 950 MPa) and more than 17% elongation;however, their values of toughness deviated greatly,with a difference of approximately 40 J at-50℃.Analysis of the morphologies of the fracture surfaces and secondary cracks further revealed the correlation between the microstructure and mechanical properties.The effects of adding Cu and Nb on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld metal are discussed;the indication is that adding Cu-Nb increases the hardenability and grain size of the weld metal and thus deteriorates the toughness.

Effects of B and Ti on the Toughness of HSLA Steel Weld Metals

Effects of microalloying Ti and B on the microstructures and low temperature toughness of manual metal arc (MMA) deposits were investi- gated.Weld metals containing 200-300 ppm Ti and 29-60 ppm B deposited by manual coated elec- trodes provided an optimum low temperature toughness.The addition of B in weld metals low- ered the γ→α transformation temperature which promoted the acicular ferrite (AF) transformation. Solid solutioned B suppressed grain boundary ferrite as well as side plate ferrite formation and benefited the acicular ferrite formation.Titanium protected B from oxidizing as well as nitriding and formed Ti-Mn silicate inclusions.Ultra-high volt- age electron microscope analyses showed that TiO structure in the Ti-Mn silicate inclusions was the favorable nucleation site for acicular ferrite forma- tion.

Study on chaos in short circuit gas metal arc welding process

Based on the chaos theory, an idea is put forward to analyze the short circuit Gas Metal Arc Welding （ GMAW-S） process. The theory of phase space reconstruction and related algorithms such as mutual information and so on, are applied to analyze the chaos of the GMAW-S process. The largest Lyapunov exponents of some current time series are calculated, and the results indicate that chaos exists in the GMAW-S process. The research of the chaos in the GMAW-S process can be help to get new knowledge of the process.

INFLUENCE OF LOCAL BRITTLE ZONE ON THE FRACTURETOUGHNESS OF HIGH-STRENGTH LOW-ALLOYEDMULTIPASS WELD METALS

In this paper, toughness properties and microstructurc of low-alloyed multipass welds with yield strength above 700MPa have 6een studied using the weld thermal simulation and throughout thickness CTOD fracture mechanics tests. Impact testing of thermal simulated specimens showed that the primary weld metal and the fine gmmed weld metal had good toughness, while the coarse grained weld metal had the lowest toughness value as the local brittle zone (LBZ) in multipass weld metals. Cleavage fracture in CTOD testing of thick multipass weld metals was initiated from martensite-austenite (MA) phases in the LBZ. MA phases were distributed at the prior austenite grain boundaries and around ferrite grains. As the size of the local brittle zone along the fatigue crack front increases, CTOD frncture toughness of multipass weld metals decreases. The weakest link theory was used to evaluate effect of the local brittle zone on fracture toughness of thick multipass weld metals. The estimated curves agree well with the eaperimental data.

Feature Extraction and Dimensionality Reduction of Arc Sound under Typical Penetration Status in Metal Inert Gas Welding

Arc sound is well known as the potential and available resource for monitoring and controlling of the weld penetration status,which is very important to the welding process quality control,so any attentions have been paid to the relationships between the arc sound and welding parameters.Some non-linear mapping models correlating the arc sound to welding parameters have been established with the help of neural networks.However,the research of utilizing arc sound to monitor and diagnose welding process is still in its infancy.A self-made real-time sensing system is applied to make a study of arc sound under typical penetration status,including partial penetration,unstable penetration,full penetration and excessive penetration,in metal inert-gas（MIG） flat tailored welding with spray transfer.Arc sound is pretreated by using wavelet de-noising and short-time windowing technologies,and its characteristics,characterizing weld penetration status,of time-domain,frequency-domain,cepstrum-domain and geometric-domain are extracted.Subsequently,high-dimensional eigenvector is constructed and feature-level parameters are successfully fused utilizing the concept of primary principal component analysis（PCA）.Ultimately,60-demensional eigenvector is replaced by the synthesis of 8-demensional vector,which achieves compression for feature space and provides technical supports for pattern classification of typical penetration status with the help of arc sound in MIG welding in the future.